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Tina Fey has another essay in The New Yorker this week, this one about what she learned from Lorne Michaels while working at SNL ("Producing is about discouraging creativity"; "Don’t hire anyone you wouldn’t want to run into in the hallway at three in the morning"; and so on), as well as the difference between male and female comedians. (Male comedians piss in jars.) One point in particular is great circumstantial evidence for those who like to complain about how inconsistent and bad SNL can be. Says Fey, "The show doesn’t go on because it’s ready; it goes on because it’s eleven-thirty ... What I learned about bombing as a writer for Saturday Night Live is that you can’t be too worried about your permanent record. Yes, you’re going to write some sketches that you love and are proud of forever — your golden nuggets. But you’re also going to write some real shit nuggets. You can’t worry about it. As long as you know the difference, you can go back to panning for gold on Monday." So, for those watching at home and wading through the poop but hoping for a laugh, please know that's more or less the intended effect. [NYer]